Very often, the driver of an automobile or truck needs to store objects such as pens, pencils, note papers, calculators, turnpike tickets and coins in a handy location. Unless there is some readily available place where these objects can be kept, they tend to slide about when the vehicle is brought to a sudden stop or turned sharply. This can lead to dangerous situation wherein these projectiles flying about the interior of the vehicle can injure the occupants. Moreover, if the driver attempts to retrieve the objects while driving, his attention must be averted from the roadway, potentially causing an accident. Numerous attempts have been made to provide a location for the various objects one needs in everyday life while on the road. The original location familiar to all is the glove compartment or glove box. The problem with this location is that it is typically on the passenger side of the vehicle, and is too far from the driver to be easily reached. Also, the vertical door that opens downward allows the items stored in the glove box to easily spill out. Automobile manufacturers have attempted to improve on this situation by creating the console between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. The typical console also doubles as an arm rest, and has become a convenient place to store tape cassettes, compact discs, coins, pens, pencils, cellular telephones, etc. Since the console is top opening, it functions much better than the conventional glove box in holding these various objects. A very large multi-functional console may be found in Dodge Ram trucks manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation. This console incorporates electrical outlets for cellular telephones, FAX machines, cigarette lighters, and also has space for tape cassettes, pens, pencils, various papers, and has a large top surface that can be used as a miniature desk for writing. Unfortunately, the Dodge console and all other consoles suffer from the problem of a disadvantageous location. In order to retrieve an item from the console, the driver must turn sideways and look down to open the console and then rummage through the crowded interior of the console to locate the item of interest. Needless to say, this can be a hazardous operation when one is in heavy traffic.
Others have attempted to solve this problem by essentially moving the console from the position between the seats to a more suitable location on the dashboard. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,619,586; 4,577,788; 4,846,382; 5,419,265; 3,104,895; and 5,025,919 each describe an after-market box or tray-like structure that is designed to be mounted on a vehicle dashboard and provide a writing surface and/or storage for other items. While these inventions solve the location problem, they generally suffer from being large and unwieldy, and can partially obscure the drivers field of vision. In addition, the large dashboards of some trucks are frequently used by the drivers as a shelf to store papers, blueprint rolls, books, and various other items too large to fit into the glove box, the console, or any of these after-market dashboard organizers. One major problem inherent in all the devices disclosed in the above patents is that the various attachment schemes all leave a significant gap between the bottom of the apparatus and the top of the dashboard. This is because all the prior art devices are essentially planar or box-like, and the dashboard of modern vehicles is a complex curving structure, with dips, slopes and compound curves. Thus, items kept on the dashboard will tend to slide under the prior art organizers whenever the vehicle navigates a sharp turn or when a gust of wind comes into the vehicle window. Trucks used off-road, such as in the construction and farming trades, are particularly prone to losing items, as they are operated over very rough terrain, and bounce around significantly. Often, an item will simply scoot clear across the dashboard and exit out the side window when one executes a sharp turn. In these situations, it is critical for the driver to keep both hands on the steering wheel and his eyes on the vehicle path, rather than to leap about in an attempt to recover or restrain flying papers.
Accordingly, there is a need for a multipurpose accessory which can be secured to a vehicle dashboard that is able to hold a variety of objects and prevent other items stored on top of the dashboard from flying about. Such an item would not only provide convenience to the driver, but would be a safety feature because it would allow the driver to maintain concentration on the task at hand, driving.